Windows 9 Threshold to ditch Charms bar, add virtual desktops

Microsoft wants the next major version of Windows to be noticeably different from Windows 8, so much so that the company plans to completely remove the Charms bar from its operating system and add virtual desktops, it is claimed.

Following numerous reports that Microsoft will introduce a new Start Menu as well as windowed Metro-style apps in Threshold, the codename for the next major version of Windows, both ZDNet and Winbeta have reported that Microsoft will also abandon the Charms bar, a feature used to access quick settings and functions like search.

Although the Charms bar is considered useful for touch-enabled devices, its effect is largely lost when a mouse and keyboard are thrown into the mix. That said, according to Winbeta, the current build of Threshold, which is expected to launch as Windows 9 sometime next spring, does not include the Charms bar.

ZDNet added to that report by claiming Metro-style windows apps will get title bars with menus and Charm features. In other words, Microsoft will simply nix the Charms bar from a dedicated position on the desktop and instead fold relevant Charms components into the title bars of apps.

ZDNet also claimed developers will need to add features to enable the share Charm. And finally, Microsoft is reportedly including a virtual desktops feature in Windows 9, allowing users to create different active desktops that they can switch between via a button on the taskbar.

A preview version of Windows 9 is expected later this year, with a full release in spring 2015.

Élyse is Los Angeles-based and has a decade of journalism experience. She sticks to technology reporting, with a focus on Apple and Google-related news, and has worked in many forms of media, including newspapers and online. She also holds a MFA in creative writing and a BA in multimedia journalism.